1971 Topps #534 Luke Walker
About Luke Walker
Walker's 1970 season ranked him third among National League pitchers in ERA, winning percentage (.714) and hits per nine innings (7.1), which put him on the NL ERA leaders card, #68, alongside Tom Seaver of the Mets and Wayne Simpson of the Reds. He worked 163 innings with 124 strikeouts and threw a pair of two-hit shutouts. His own card, #534, is a fifth-series number printed with the Pirates.
James Luke Walker, born September 2, 1943, in DeKalb, Texas, was a left-handed pitcher who spent nine major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and, in his final year, the Detroit Tigers. His best season came in 1970, when he went 15-6 with a 3.04 ERA as the Pirates won the National League East. He pitched in three postseasons with Pittsburgh, including the 1971 World Series, which Pittsburgh won over the Baltimore Orioles. He started Game Four and threw the first pitch of a night game in World Series history. On July 18, 1971, he lost a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers when Joe Ferguson homered with none out in the ninth inning, the only hit he allowed in a 7-1 win. Walker was also known for helping Roberto Clemente load a relief flight to Nicaragua on New Year's Eve 1972, the trip that killed Clemente; Clemente had urged Walker to stay behind instead. Walker finished his career with a 45-47 record, a 3.65 ERA and 558 strikeouts across 243 appearances.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 619 | 1 | 48 | 385 | 160 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 22 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
More Luke Walker in this set: #68 League Leaders
Team card: #603 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #2 Dock Ellis
- #27 Pirates 1971 Rookie Stars
- #47 Johnny Jeter
- #62 1970 National League Batting Leaders
- #68 1970 National League ERA Leaders
- #73 George Brunet
- #110 Bill Mazeroski
- #143 Steve Blass
- #168 Bruce Dal Canton
- #212 Rich Hebner
- #230 Willie Stargell
- #255 Bob Robertson
- #282 Jose Pagan
- #298 Jim Nelson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #534 card?
It is card #534 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Luke Walker of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-25.